Huruma traders demand alternative site after market demolition

The aftermath of demolitions at Uhuru Market. [Juliet Omelo, Standard]

Hundreds of small-scale traders displaced from the Huruma Open-Air Market in Nairobi are now calling on authorities to urgently provide alternative trading spaces as redevelopment plans for the area take shape.

The traders say the ongoing restructuring of the market has left many without a source of income, forcing families that rely on daily earnings to struggle to meet basic needs such as food, rent, and school fees.

Makadara parliamentary aspirant Edwin Kuria, who visited the site alongside a group of youth, said the traders were not opposed to the construction of a modern market but insisted that the process must protect those whose livelihoods depend on the space.

The aftermath of demolitions at Uhuru Market. [Juliet Omelo, Standard]

“These are hardworking business people who survive from hand to mouth. Even if the market is being rebuilt, they should be given a temporary place to continue trading. They only need an opportunity to sustain their businesses,” Kuria said.

Kuria also criticised poor public participation during the planning phase of the project by both the local and national governments.

According to him, traders were given very short notice before the demolitions began, leaving many unprepared.

Several traders claimed they received a notice on a Friday instructing them to vacate the premises within days.

By Monday, some structures had already been marked with beacons, and parts of the market were being cleared.

Trader Evan Leje said the sudden disruption has severely affected the livelihoods of families that depend on the market.

“Most of us here earn money daily. If we do not work for even one day, our families feel the impact immediately. What we are asking for is simple: give us a place where we can continue doing business as we wait for the new market to be completed,” he said.

Another trader, Nicholas Kiyoko, said many vendors are now stranded without an alternative location.

“We have children in school, we have rent to pay, and we rely on this work to survive. Without a place to trade, life becomes very difficult,” he noted.

Long-time trader Janne Jimmy, who says she has operated at the market for more than 15 years, claimed that over 2,000 traders may have been affected by the disruptions.

Janne expressed her frustrations, noting that all her years of hard work had been reduced to begging.

“I have pending school fees and rent to pay, how am I supposed to meet this, yet my daily hustle has been demolished,” she noted.

She asked the relevant authorities to consider giving traders another space for them to continue with their businesses.

“We want to be able to continue providing for our families, and this can only be done if we are given an alternative space to work from,” she added.

She said many vendors lost goods during the sudden relocation and are now struggling to recover.

“We accepted the idea of a modern market, but we expected proper communication and a plan for where we would trade in the meantime,” she said.

The traders are now urging the Nairobi County Government to engage them in dialogue and allocate a temporary trading area while construction continues.

They also want assurance that the original traders will be given priority when the new market is completed.

For now, many vendors remain at the site, uncertain about their future and hoping that authorities will intervene before their businesses collapse entirely.